Cavs defense reappears in gritty 110-91 win over Pistons
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It wasn’t a flawless performance, but the Cleveland Cavaliers secured a vital 110-91 victory against the Detroit Pistons. This win is especially significant as it ends the Cavs’ frustrating three-game losing streak. More importantly, it marks a much-needed resurgence in their defensive play.
The Pistons have shown marked improvement this season compared to last, primarily due to their enhancements on the defensive side of the ball. However, their offense still struggles to meet league standards, and this was evident against Cleveland, who prevented Detroit from establishing any rhythm or consistency offensively. Lately, the Cavs have been lacking in this effort. So, to see them win purely through defense alone, dictating how and when an opponent will score, was a welcome sight.
“Elite defensive performance,” Cleveland Head Coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Started with Max Strus on [Cade] Cunningham and just laying a body on him and wearing him down. I said he was going to take 30 shots. He took 26. We really made it difficult for him, and that started with Max; it was great. And then Jaylon [Tyson] came in, you know, you’ve got to have a big body on him.”
The Cavs held Cunningham to just 9-for-26 (38.6%) from the field, which was tied for his fourth-lowest field goal percentage in a game this season. He also went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, being held without a three-pointer for the fifth time this season. The ability to flip a switch on defense is something great teams do, and it’s what led to Cleveland dominating Detroit despite the Cavs’ own offensive inconsistency.
“Great carryover, just from what we were preaching to the guys this [Monday] morning, we’ve got to clean some stuff up,” Atkinson said. “This team, when you coach them, they respond.”
Cavs’ sharpshooter Max Strus’s defense was the deciding factor against the Pistons
By rediscovering their lost defensive identity, the Cavs held the Pistons to a season-low 91 points on an ugly 38.9% from the field and 28.6% from 3-point range. Much of that was from Cleveland shutting down Cunningham by the Cavs having sharpshooter Max Strus hound him on every possession.
To open the game, the Cavs scored the game’s first basket off of a mid-range Mobley jumper. Immediately after, as the Pistons took the ball out of the net and sent the inbounds pass to Cunningham, the Strus was right there, waiting to hound him, 94 feet away just as Atkinson had wanted him to do.
"I think we made a statement defensively," Strus said postgame. "When things don't go well, this group kind of takes things personally and has the resiliency to bounce back. I'm proud of the way we responded and our effort tonight on that end of the floor. Obviously, we weren't even that good offensively, but we don't need to when we guard that well.
"It didn't matter who we were going to play tonight. I think the attitude and the effort we gave was going to be good against anybody."
Although it was only one game, it’s a step in the right direction for the Cavs. Cleveland needs to re-discover its defensive identity to help counterbalance its potent offense. If they do, their chances of being a title threat only become more real. They could face another frustrating end to a promising season if they don’t.
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